Can Spring Hill homeowners have backyard chickens? Here’s what the ordinance says
The Spring Hill City Council has adopted a new ordinance regulating animals, but it does not allow residents to keep chickens on their property.
In May 2020, a group of teens petitioned Spring Hill to allow chickens within city boundaries. City officials researched the subject, crafted a potential ordinance and sought public feedback.
The 4-1 council vote came on May 27 when staffers presented two ordinances: one that allowed chickens and one without such language. The only version that came to a vote was the one without the chicken provision.
Had backyard chickens been allowed, not all Spring Hill residents could have kept them. Any subdivision rules barring chickens would have superseded the city ordinance.
Student journalist deemed best in U.S.
Shawnee Mission East High School graduate Riley Atkinson is heading to the University of Arkansas with a $3,000 scholarship given to the top student journalist in the country.
Atkinson, who served as a copy editor and online co-editor of the Harbinger student newspaper, was named Journalist of the Year by the Journalism Education Association. In addition to her portfolio, she was recognized for leading a group of staffers to continue publishing during the pandemic.
“Every part of your portfolio demonstrates that you are the kind of editor every school publication should have,” stated Bretton Zinger of Massachusetts, one of 22 Journalist of the Year jurors. “You produce outstanding work, but you also coach young staffers and develop systems and procedures that push the program in the right direction for after you are gone.”
Public art coming to Meadowbrook Park
Meadowbrook Park in Prairie Village will get the first public art installation under a new initiative launched by the Johnson County Park and Recreation District.
The district launched its public art program last year and is developing a public art master plan for its trails, parks and other facilities.
The park system has issued a call for artists on the Meadowbrook project, which has a cost ceiling of $95,000. Artists can find details by searching for Kansas at artist.callforentry.org/festivals.php.
Construction to narrow U.S. 69
Northbound U.S. 69 will be reduced to a single lane between 191st and 179th streets as crews do bridge maintenance work on the two cross streets. The project, costing nearly $847,000, is expected to last into November.
Culinary student serves up winners
Representing Gardner Edgerton High School, senior Kaden Armstrong took home three prizes from the Kansas ProStart Invitational, which featured student culinarians from across the state.
He placed first in the entree category and won third-place honors for both appetizers and desserts.
Part of the virtual competition involved creating a book that details the costs of recipes to the penny and writing about the historical, cultural and personal influence for each dish. The timed competition also judged students on plating design and color, photography and taste.
Armstrong won $500 in gift cards and prizes as well as a scholarship to Johnson and Wales University for culinary studies.
Shooting Stars earn scholarships
The Arts Council of Johnson County awarded college scholarships this spring to 18 high school seniors who were named Shooting Stars for their achievements in theater, music, the visual arts and literature.
Scholarships worth $1,400 went to these first-place winners:
▪ Emma Whitney of Olathe Northwest High School for theater performance.
▪ Kloe Wagner of Olathe North High School for classical voice.
▪ Grant Martin of Olathe East High School for production and design.
▪ Ana Cecilia Gutierrez Torreseptien of Blue Valley Northwest High School for 2D visual art.
▪ Sienna Sun of Shawnee Mission East High School for 3D visual art.
▪ Melody Tzang of Blue Valley High School for strings.
▪ Maria Heath of Shawnee Mission South High School for literature.
▪ Reese Renzi of Blue Valley Southwest High School for photography.
▪ Jay Selzer of Shawnee Mission South HIgh School for winds and percussion.
These second-place winners received $700 scholarships:
▪ Adalyn Green of Blue Valley High School for theater performance
▪ Sonia Brekken, Olathe Northwest High School for classical voice.
▪ Josie Smith of Gardner Edgerton High School for production and design.
▪ Tyler Phothirath of Olathe North High School for 2D visual art.
▪ Leah Dean of Blue Valley School District for 3D visual art.
▪ Andrea Shehi of Olathe East High School for strings.
▪ Gabrielle Kill of Blue Valley North High School for literature.
▪ Julia Walewicz of Blue Valley West High School for photography.
▪ Joshua Robinson of Blue Valley Northwest High School for winds and percussion.
The arts council also gave $300 honorariums to the teachers who nominated the first-place recipients.
She’s a Braille Challenge finalist
Emrie Wisner, a second-grade student at Mahaffie Elementary School in Olathe, is a 2021 Braille Challenge finalist, having landed in the top 10 of her age category during preliminaries across North America.
The feat makes her eligible to compete in the national finals this summer.
Braille Challenge is the only academic competition of its kind held in North America for students who are blind or visually impaired. Contestants are tested on fundamental skills such as reading comprehension, spelling, speed and accuracy, proofreading, and charts and graphs.
